The results show that Asian countries outperform the rest of the world, with Shanghai at the top of the list in each of the three subjects.

Although PISA tests math, reading and science, the main focus is on math, because research suggests proficiency in math is a strong predictor of success in young adults.

Youngsters who are good at math tend to continue with further education and earn higher wages.

The top ten countries in each subject were as follows:

PISA test – Mathematics Top 10

Shanghai-China 613

Singapore 573

Hong Kong-China 561

Chinese Taipei 560

Korea 554

Macao-China 538

Japan 536

Liechtenstein 535

Switzerland 531

Netherlands 523 (USA came 36th and UK 26th)

PISA test – Reading Top 10

Shanghai-China 570

Hong Kong-China 545

Singapore 542

Japan 538

Korea 536

Finland 524

Ireland 523

Chinese Taipei 523

Canada 523

Poland 518 (USA came 24th, UK 25th)

PISA test – Science Top 10

Shanghai-China 580

Hong Kong-China 555

Singapore 551

Japan 547

Finland 545

Estonia 541

Korea 538

Viet Nam 528

Poland 526

Canada 525 (USA came 28th, UK 16th)

Students in Shanghai scored the equivalent of nearly three years schooling above most other OECD nations.

The survey also highlights some of the key features of the best performing education systems.

In Asia teaching quality matters more than class size

For example, in Asia – which dominates the top ten in all three categories – there is a strong emphasis on selecting and training teachers, setting clear targets, and giving teachers a lot of autonomy – their systems prioritize teacher quality rather than class sizes.

The countries at the bottom of the league table are Indonesia and Peru. The difference between the top of the table and the bottom is equivalent to about six years of education, says the report.

Although Indonesia lingers around the bottom of the table, the survey found it has the happiest schoolchildren.

The survey also looks at regions within countries and highlights some interesting contrasts.

For example, although the US sits around the middle of the league table, below Italy, Spain and Russia, the state of Massachusetts outperforms any of the European countries and would rank in the top 10 if it were a country.

Gender gap wider among top and weaker students

Another key finding concerns the gender gap.

Boys did better than girls in math. They scored higher than girls in 37 out of 65 countries, while girls did better than boys in 5 countries. However, the gender gap is not large: in only 6 countries does it exceed half a year’s schooling.

The gender gap is widest among top students, about the same for average students, and then wide again for the weakest students.

The survey finds that girls tend to feel less motivated to study math and have less confidence in their ability to do math than boys.

Between 2000 and 2012, the gender gap in reading performance – in favor of girls – got bigger in 11 countries and economies.

Boys and girls have similar levels of performance in science.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría says:

“In a global economy, competitiveness and future job prospects will depend on what people can do with what they know. Young people are the future, so every country must do everything it can to improve its education system and the prospects of future generations.”